Release planning

5 minutes 5 Questions

Release Planning in Agile is the practice of strategizing the release of a functional product. It involves planning the release date and the content of the release(typically, a set of features). As compared to traditional methods, Agile Release Planning is flexible and can adapt to any changes over…

Guide on Release Planning for PMI-ACP Exam

Release planning plays a crucial part in agile project management, which often comes up as a pivotal aspect in PMI-ACP exams.
Why it's important: It's a practice used to forecast how a major product feature will be released. Keeping track of the release provides clear forecasting, enhances business feasibility, lays down a foundation for progress and ensures transparency.
What it is:It's an essential part of Agile methodology which involves scheduling activities for product delivery and deciding which product or functionality will be delivered and when.
How it works: Teams will generally use a backlog of tasks and prioritize these tasks based on customer requirements, estimated time and effort. The goal is to optimize the delivery of value.
Exam Preparations: Now, how to answer the questions efficiently in the exam about release planning?

Take note of the relevance of the product backlog and customer priorities in release planning.
Understand the concept of timeboxing and its role in release planning.
Remember the importance of communication and transparency within teams and stakeholders in the context of release planning.

Exam Tips: Ensure that you are familiarizing yourself with the terminology and functions of Agile release planning. Practice situational and application-based questions that test your comprehension of the concept. One interesting tip for answering multiple-choice questions: if two answers seem correct, choose the one that involves the higher level of communication or customer involvement, as these are considered key principles of agile project management.

Test mode:

Exam (Timed)

Practice (With explanations)

Start practice test

PMI-ACP - Release planning Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Release planning

Question 1

As the Project Manager, you have the release plan in place. However, one of the critical stakeholders has expressed concerns over a particular feature. What is the most suitable approach to take in this situation?

Invite the stakeholder to the next Review Meeting to discuss this issue and make necessary adjustments Ask the team to work on the feature based solely on the stakeholder's concern Ignore the stakeholder's concern and proceed with the current plan Remove the feature from the scope without discussion

Correct Answer: Invite the stakeholder to the next Review Meeting to discuss this issue and make necessary adjustments

The best approach in this situation is to 'Invite the stakeholder to the next Review Meeting to discuss this issue and make necessary adjustments'. This course of action respects the stakeholder's concern, provides a platform for discussion and allows for adjustments to the plan if necessary. It is consistent with the principle of stakeholder engagement, vital in project management. The other answers are not appropriate because 'Ignoring the stakeholder's concern and proceeding with the current plan' would neglect the stakeholder's perspective and would not maintain healthy stakeholder relationship. 'Removing the feature from the scope without discussion' is not collaborative and breach the concept of stakeholder engagement. 'Asking the team to work on the feature based solely on the stakeholder's concern' does not take into account the overall project scope, resources, and possible impact on the project.

Question 2

During a release planning session in your Agile project, a key stakeholder demands that certain features be developed and included in the next release. However, upon discussing with your team, you realize that including these features could risk the quality of the product or necessitate an extension of the release date. How should you handle this situation?

Force the team to incorporate the new features, regardless of the potential quality risks or extended timelines. Insist on sticking to the original plan, ignoring the stakeholder's demands. Include the features without the stakeholder's knowledge, hoping they will not notice. Discuss the potential risks and impacts with the stakeholder and re-negotiate priorities or timelines.

Correct Answer: Discuss the potential risks and impacts with the stakeholder and re-negotiate priorities or timelines.

In Agile projects, stakeholders have an important role in refining and prioritizing the product backlog. However, if a stakeholder insists on including certain features that may risk the project's quality or timing, it's critical to have an open conversation about the potential risks and impacts. The best approach entails renegotiating priorities and possibly adjusting timelines. This is exactly what the correct answer suggests. The other answers suggest approaches that are not in line with Agile principles. Ignoring the stakeholder's features, forcing the team to incorporate the new features proceeding without analyzing the risks or impacts, or incorporating the features without stakeholder's knowledge all represent practices that contradict Agile's values of collaboration, flexibility, and stakeholder involvement.

Question 3

As a Scrum Master, during the release planning, you discovered that some of the integration tests for critical features are failing. The team is not sure if the issue can be resolved before the release date. What should you do?

Keep silent and hope the team will fix the issue before the release date. Ask the team to work overtime to solve the issue. Proceed with the release plan ignoring test failures. Bring the issue to the stakeholder's attention and discuss possible solutions or alternatives.

Correct Answer: Bring the issue to the stakeholder's attention and discuss possible solutions or alternatives.

As a Scrum Master, the best action to take when discovering that integration tests for critical features are failing would be to bring the issue to the stakeholder's attention and discuss possible solutions or alternatives. It is crucial to keep stakeholders informed about project progress, especially when the issue could impact the release date. This also gives them the opportunity to make decisions and provide input on possible solutions or changes in strategy The other options suggested are not considered best Agile practices. Keeping silent and hoping the team will fix the issue before the release date shows lack of transparency and is counter-productive. Not acknowledging such an important issue can lead to bigger problems down the line Simply proceeding with the release plan and ignoring test failures is not a responsible conduct. This could potentially lead to releasing a product that is not ready, degrading the value of the product and the user experience Finally, asking the team to work overtime to solve the issue may appear as an immediate solution, but it is not sustainable nor respectful of team's work-life balance. Over time, this can decrease job satisfaction and team moral, lead to burnout, and reduce productivity.

🎓 Unlock Premium Access

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner + ALL Certifications

🎓 Access to ALL Certifications: Study for any certification on our platform with one subscription
3862 Superior-grade PMI Agile Certified Practitioner practice questions
Unlimited practice tests across all certifications
Detailed explanations for every question
PMI-ACP: 5 full exams plus all other certification exams
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed: Full refund if unsatisfied
Risk-Free: 7-day free trial with all premium features!

Start Your Free 7-Day Trial